Why I Don’t Need Or Want A Dishwasher (A Visual Demonstration)
Yes, I really am writing a post about a dishwasher. 😀 I don’t know why, but getting rid of a dishwasher in a kitchen (especially in America) seems unconscionable to many people. It’s actually quite controversial for some reason. Every time I mention not using mine (I’ve used it maybe four times since remodeling my kitchen in 2014) or getting rid of my dishwasher and replacing it with some more useful storage (which I hope to do this year), I get comments from people urging me to keep it.
I went to the comment section in the admin part of my blog and just searched the word “dishwasher” to see how many comments had been left on this topic. There were 242 dishwasher comments. That’s a lot of comments about dishwashers! 😀
Not all of the comments were from people urging me to keep mine. In fact, I had many comments from people who never use their dishwasher (many had removed it completely and replaced it with useful storage) and only ever wash dishes by hand. But the majority were from people who said they could never live without a dishwasher, and a large percentage of those were comments urging me to keep mine.
Even in Saturday’s C.O.P. post, the topic of a dishwasher was prevalent in the comments…
Get a dishwasher. buy multiples of what you use at every meal. Then just load the dishwasher and wash the skillet. Run and empty the dishwasher every few days. Easy peasy!
Get a dishwasher. And a Roomba. Embrace the help they give you (imagine cutting all your wood with a handsaw instead of a tablesaw or tracsaw). Since we are only two, I purchased another set of our cutlery on Ebay so I only run the dishwasher when it is full.
Getting a dishwasher would help.
I know you keep saying you want to get rid of the dishwasher because you don’t use it… but if you’re not doing your dishes after each meal then you really should use it. Why do you prefer stacking dirty dishes in plain sight than just putting them in the dishwasher? I’m not trying to be mean, I just really can’t understand the reluctance.
There is nothing virtuous about not using a dishwasher – and IMHO you have more than enough cabinet/storage/pantry space that there is no necessity for you to repurpose the space your dishwasher takes. Give yourself a break – get the thing fixed and use it.
Since this topic keeps coming up, I thought that I’d just write a post about it! In fact, someone actually suggested that to me in a comment a while back when this same comment came up.
Kristi, I think you need a whole post on this! 😉 It keeps coming up… Au revior to the dishwasher!
So I’m doing just that, and including a visual demonstration to clearly show exactly why a dishwasher doesn’t make sense for us. From this point forward, when the topic comes up, I can just link to this post rather than trying answer individual questions about why I don’t need a dishwasher. So here goes…
First, I’ve explained that Matt and I eat one meal a day (OMAD with 22 hours intermittent fasting every day). We’ve been doing that for a year-and-a-half now, ever since we started keto in June 2018, and we both love it. So I don’t see us ever going back to eating three meals a day. In fact, even before keto, we were only ever eating two meals a day. We’ve never been three-meals-a-day people.
On top of that, since June 2019, we’ve been eating a mostly-carnivore diet. We pretty much eat ribeyes, and that’s it. Sometimes we’ll throw in something else (ground beef, bacon, shrimp, etc.), but for now, it’s ribeyes every day.
I cook our ribeyes on the stovetop on my cast iron griddle pan with a splatter guard and a lid. I prepare our ribeyes on a cutting board using a meat tenderizer. After they’re cooked, I cut them up on the cutting board using a knife, and then we eat them using two bowls and two forks.
That’s it. That’s the sum total of our dishes for an entire day. I gathered them up after our meal on Saturday and took a picture of them before I washed them (and before I cleaned the stove off, so please excuse the mess), so you can see all of our dishes and cookware for an entire day here…
I separated them into two stacks. The stack on the right shows the items that I literally use every single day, so I can’t put them into a dishwasher and wait a few days until I have enough stuff to fill and run the dishwasher. These things have to be clean and ready to use the next day.
Plus, some of those things can’t be put in a dishwasher anyway. You should never put cast iron in a dishwasher. Wood cutting boards should never be put in a dishwasher, either. So those two things have to be washed by hand anyway. I actually wash the meat tenderizer by hand immediately after using it, because if things (bits of fat, seasonings, etc.) get caught in those tines and dry on there, it’s so much harder to clean. So that leaves two things — the splatter guard and the lid — and again, these are things I use every single day, so they must be clean and ready to go, not waiting for days in the dishwasher until I have enough dirty dishes for a full load.
Then there’s the stack on the left — two bowls, two forks and a knife. These are the things that could actually go in a dishwasher. But here are two points about this stack…
- It’s two bowls, two forks and a knife. 😀 And again, this is for an entire day, not for one of three meals in a day. If I’m already washing the stack on the right by hand, it literally takes two minutes more to wash the stack on the left. Yes, that would save me 14 minutes of work a week, but come on. It’s fourteen minutes a week. 😀
- With putting this amount of dishes into the dishwasher each day, it would take 14 days (two entire weeks) to fill up the dishwasher enough to run a full load. That’s two weeks of disgusting, dirty dishes sitting in a dishwasher. And to verify this, I put the two bowls, two forks, and knife into the dishwasher and then calculated how many more I could put in there based on how much space these took up…
Fourteen days to fill up a dishwasher at that rate.
But also, just in order to make this system of running the dishwasher once every two weeks in order to save myself 14 minutes of work a week, I’d have to purchase more dishes. Matt prefers eating out of that big bowl, and I like the smaller pasta bowl. I only have four of each, so I would literally need to purchase ten more of each bowl (20 new bowls in total), in addition to another two sets of silverware and two sets of steak knives, in order to save myself 14 minutes of work each week.
I just can’t see how that would be helpful to me at all, especially when you consider that at least a portion of the 14 minutes a week of work that I’d be saving myself by not washing those two bowls, two forks, and knife every day by hand, would then be spent unloading my 28 bowls, 14 steak knives, and 28 forks from the packed dishwasher and putting them away.
When all is said and done, I’d probably end up with a net “savings” of about 7-10 minutes of work per week by filling up my dishwasher with dirty dishes and running a full load once every two weeks.
Or…I could just take an extra two minutes each day to wash my two bowls, two forks, and one knife while I’m washing the rest of the items that have to be washed anyway, and be done with them. No stinky dishes languishing in the dishwasher for two weeks at a time. No need to purchase a ridiculous amount of new dishes, silverware, and knives just to avoid washing by hand. And no need to unload that ridiculous amount of dishes, silverware, and knives once every two weeks just to start that process over again.
I guess the point is that for some of us, dishwashers really just don’t make sense. They clearly make life easier for many (maybe even most) people. But it’s just not a given that because they make life easier for so many, they must make life easier for everyone.
I will be getting rid of my dishwasher, and I’ll be glad to see that glorified drying rack go. My plans for what will go there have changed, but it will be storage of some sort. Now THAT is something I’ll use. 🙂
Addicted 2 Decorating is where I share my DIY and decorating journey as I remodel and decorate the 1948 fixer upper that my husband, Matt, and I bought in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do physical work, so I do the majority of the work on the house by myself. You can learn more about me here.
This is your home and you can do whatever you want. My question is, if you’re only using a handful of items every day, what do you need more storage for? You have all those cabinets and your pantry for storage already.
If my memory serves me correctly, you want to start hosting in the future, have clients come over for consultations, etc. I would hate to be a slave to washing coffee cups, drinking glasses, my two bowls, forks, one knife (if you’re still eating that way in the future) and all the other dishes from guests/clients from previous visits and putting them all away before welcoming more people into my home.
That is where the dishwasher becomes my sanity saver.
Just because we’re eating this way now (and for the foreseeable future), that doesn’t mean that we’ll always eat this way. But no matter what I cook (whether I’m cooking frozen ribeyes in the air fryer, which needs to be stored, or roast in the Instant Pot, which needs to be stored, or beef jerky in the dehydrator, which needs to be stored), we always eat one meal a day, and we eat very simply.
I grew up in house with 4 people that ate 3 meals a day and we never had a dishwasher. I say do whatever you want. I’m not sure why people care if you have a dishwasher or not. Seems like they have too much spare time if they have time to judge you. Maybe they should go wash some dishes! Haha
OMG. I sat down to read Kristi’s newest and I couldn’t believe it was all about dishwashers. I was thinking I should go wash my own dishes rather than continue reading. And then I read your comment and laughed out loud. Thanks. I am off to wash my dishes now.
I agree! When I was growing up we did have a dishwasher(s)- 4 kids with 2 hands each. While today I do have a dishwasher – mostly I prefer to do them myself by hand.
When you host, you use paper plates and disposable utensils. I think she’ll be hosting in the studio and won’t want people in her kitchen/house anyway.
Hah. My 5 sisters used to beg dad for a dishwasher
. He always said, ” Why would I do that?? I already have 6??”. Miss him. 🙂
When I was around 12 years old (many moons ago) my parent built a new house and me and my 2 siblings also begged for a dishwasher and were told the same thing, lol mom also refused to get a garbage disposal, she would save all the organic scraps for the compost heap. She was “green” before it was cool. Man I miss her too
When I host, I never use paper plates or disposal utensils. It’s extremely wasteful and our landfills don’t need more crap in them because I don’t want to wash my dishes. Whether by hand or dishwasher.
As I previously stated, it’s her house and she can do what she wants! My question was why she needed more storage when she has all those cabinets in her kitchen and her pantry!
I don’t need to be attacked with nasty comments. If that’s how it is around here, I’ll just follow another blog. I can see myself out. 😜
Currently just moved mine to the garage to sell and Installed a beautiful French door wine fridge!
Cheers!
Ok, goodbye dishwasher, but now I want to know why you’re using a meat tenderizer on beautiful ribeye steaks which are so wonderfully tender unless cooked to well done.
Haha! Well, every once in a while, I was getting not-so-tender ribeyes, even though I was making a point to get well marbled cuts, so I started using the tenderizer. They’ve been much more consistently tender since I started using it. And really, can a ribeye be too tender? 😀 Matt likes his medium rare, and I like mine somewhere between medium rare and medium. No well done steaks in this house, I can assure you!! 😀
Brava, Kristi! Well said. 🥰
I have several friends who have replaced theirs with a wine cooler .. I use mine only as a drying rack.. I and planning on replacing mine with a mini fridge or wine fridge .
I agree with the comment above about hosting more. Also, I thought that while you might not be eating more meals in a day, once you get out of carnivore mode, you will be eating other foods (in particular veggies). So, you will be using more dishes at some point.
That being said, I’m just commenting to comment. I really don’t have any strong feelings about whether or not you have a dishwasher. I have a garbage disposal that LITERALLY only gets used when someone else is cooking in my house. I don’t use it at all. Years ago, I had a plumber give me an entire list of all the things that SHOULD NOT go down a disposal. After that, I was like why use one? I just have drain catcher that I empty into the garbage about 3 times a day. People think I’m crazy for not using my disposal. So, I totally have sympathy for you and how people react to you wanting to get rid of your dishwasher! LOL!
How is Cooper doing? Will you please give us an update?
All the best, Tina
I agree with you on the dishwasher. Got rid of mine years ago when we remodeled the kitchen. When the family is here for meals we use paper plates. There choice!! Just the two of us and we eat very simple. Plus we go out to eat a lot.
He’s doing great! Whatever was ailing him seems to have passed. I’m almost 100% sure that the problem was that he hurt his foot when he leaped into the back door from his yard. I think he landed wrong, hurt the foot, and then it took about two weeks for it to get back to normal. The problem is that even though his foot is all better now, he’s still afraid to come in that back door. :-/ I guess he associates that door with pain now, so in order to get him to come in, I have to entice him with food every single time.
Thank You for the update!
Great to hear Cooper is doing well<3 I´m sure as time goes by he will let go of his fear of the door. Have a great day Kristi and keep up the good work!
I´v been simplifying my home for 4 years:) so I know it is a process that can take time. Today I consider my home to be more on the minimalist side of the spectrum but am still working on getting rid of more things. I love this simple, decluttered lifestyle,. In the end it will be all worth it.
All the best, Tina
It’s Kristi’s life, Kristi’s home and Kristi’s kitchen for Pete’s sake!! What goes in her kitchen and the rest of her home is HER business! She’s allowing us to take the ride with her. Personally, I’m enjoying every bit of it!! Keep it up, Kristi!!
Even if you’re not ever going to sell, I always think it’s best to do things to your home that maintain or increase its value. Having a full suite of nice appliances does that.
The plumbing and the space will be there. IF they ever sell, someone else could put one back in.
You may feel that way, but isn’t it better to live and use your home to suit you and not future buyers? Unless you are a frequent mover, you should do what makes you happy, not some imaginary person down the line. Kristi has no plans to ever move, so she is making this house suit her and Matt, not anyone else. If she decides to sell someday, no doubt the house might need a remodel again, or the buyers may just be a lot like Kristi and Matt. We’ve sold two homes and neither one required us to make changes. The first made their own changes, the second still has everything the same, including paint. To each his own!
I couldn’t disagree more.
Adds value for whom? For people who don’t live here? Because the way it is now doesn’t add value for us and the way we live our lives. To me, that’s what’s important, not some arbitrary “value” number based on something that doesn’t make my life easier.
And adds value when? When we’re dead? Because we plan on this being our forever home. Why would I be concerned about what people think of the “value” after we’re dead?
This is exactly why I encourage people (whether it’s in designing or decorating their homes) to make decisions FOR THEMSELVES and not for some possible future owners who are probably going to want to move in and change everything anyway. The home should be designed and decorated for the people who live in it, and no one else.
I agree entirely with Kristi here – unless you are planning on an imminent move you should arrange your home to suit the way that you live.
That said – I am also one of those people who said Kristi should use her dishwasher – especially if it isn’t taking up space that she needs for something else. Its presence is not an impediment to her lifestyle so my vote would still be to leave it in place even if she’s not using it.
Even in the hypothetical scenario that one day the house does get sold, that would be “one day”. How does a 20-year old (at that point) dishwasher add value to an entire house??? And even if it did, how would this “value” EVER compare favorably to living comfortably during those years? o.O
So she has a spiffy new dishwasher she never uses and then 20-30 yrs later someone buys a house with an old dishwasher you know the wife will want to replace
I’m in the ‘good for you’ camp for you getting rid of your dishwasher. I was without mine for about two months and could have cared less if it ever got repaired since it is just my husband and I. However, because our grandchildren (and their parents) 🙂 live quite close, they are often at our house and I am grateful for the dishwasher those times. I’ll be keeping mine, but totally get why you would not want to keep yours.
My husband and I have two homes as we got married in our late 40’s. My home is 3 hours away and we currently use it for weekend get-aways. I have no dishwasher there and have no intention of putting one in. It’s therapeutic to wash dishes while looking out the window at wildlife. Storage is also more important to me than convenience.
I agree with you on a nice quiet dishwashing session, but.. I have a handicapped daughter who needs attention and makes several dirty dishes a day. So dropping the dirty things into a dishwasher and running it once a day is my lifestyle. Sometimes we don’t get to choose.
I don’t have a dishwasher in our house. I have a cabinet next to the sink base that’s the size for a dishwasher, in case we ever sell and someone else wants one. In the cabinet, I have a roll-out drying rack for washed dishes. I don’t mind washing dishes, but can’t stand seeing the drying rack sitting on the counter.
Okay Peggy, that is the smartest idea! For some reason do have a lot of dishes to run the dishwasher once a day and with, sometimes , continual company twice 😕. I also wash pans and dishes by hand and like you, I hate drying dishes on the counter! Your system is such a great idea! Btw……I hate emptying the dishwasher🥴 I’m in agreement with Kristi on this one👍🏻
It’s funny you have to defend a dishwasher! I never use that $1200 dollar device except to do a good thorough cleaning of pats and pans occasionally. I could not live without a disposal. Use it so many times a day on a septic tank . Yes have had one on a septic tank for 42 years. It is a 3/4 hp even grinds small bones. I use a trash compactor so do not want food in the trash. I even rinse the food out of paper. To each their own as to what makes daily life convenient.
A $1200 dishwasher? I’ve never paid over $500 and had good, work-horse models.
A roll out drying rack! That is clever. It solves the dishes-laying-around problem I would have without a dishwasher. I would think leaving the plumbing connections would be enough to solve any future dishwasher need.
I am sorry I tread so heavily on the dishwasher issue. Clearly you think and consider every update and change to your home and that is why we are all here!
As soon as you described your 2-bowl, 2-fork daily dish output, I totally understood why a dishwasher wouldn’t help ease your workload. And dishwashers really need to be used with some regularity or the motor can seize up and burn out. I know because I never used to run mine and had to replace it before I sold the house.
When I moved to my current house, I installed the dish drawer style of dishwasher and I use them quite regularly, Not every day but at least once or twice a week. Not every day but at least once or twice a week, especially when entertaining. That might be something to consider if you ever shift to using an extra dish or glass or a dreaded food processor every now and again. You could get just one drawer so you’d still have space for the storage your kitchen/pantry currently lacks.
I don’t get why this matters to other people? I would not get rid of a dishwasher but it’s no skin off my nose what Kristi or anyone else chooses to do with their own home. Keep it, toss it, my life won’t be any different! LOL
I couldn’t have said it better. Personally I wouldn’t choose to go without a dishwasher either, but what do I care what someone else prefers. To each his own, whatever makes sense in their own life is what they should base their decision on.
I’m confused. If you only use two bowls, two forks and a small set of cookware items, why do you need and want more kitchen storage?
This is the way I’ve been making our meals for the month of January, but that doesn’t mean it’s the only way I’ll be making our meals from here on out, forever and ever, amen.
I may swap ribeyes on the cast iron grill pan for a roast in the Instant Pot. That Instant Pot lives on my countertop and I hate it being out all the time. I’d love to store it away. And guess where would be a perfect place for it! In a cabinet where the dishwasher currently is! And while we’re not currently drinking our wheatgrass vitamin drinks, that doesn’t mean that we won’t start up again next month. And in that case, I’ll need my blender. That also lives on my countertop, and I’d love for it to be hidden out of sight as well. Guess where! Yep, in a cabinet where the dishwasher currently sits.
No matter what we eat, we’ll always eat simply. And since we’re only two people, we’ll only ever use two bowls (or plates) and two forks (or spoons). But that doesn’t mean that’s all I have in my kitchen.
Isn’t it wonderful that you can do what works for you in your home?? I cook three meals a day and need to run the dishwasher at least once daily for my family, but that’s me. And your life is your life. Do what is good for you and your home. And let any other comments just go. 🙂
Yes. It makes total sense for you to not have a dishwasher. I would do the same if in your shoes. Keep on washing dishes!!
I have a dishwasher, but don’t use it much because it is just my husband and I. We do not use enough dishes on a daily basis to fill ours either. The only reason I have not gotten rid of it is because of resale. Most people buying a home wants one. However, if you do not ever plan on selling your home, then that space should certainly be used for something else.
I think back when I was growing up and there were ten people living in the house. Four adults and six kids. I am the oldest of the six and every night my mother and I did the dishes. She had dish duty while the older ones were in school. Fast forward and I am still washing dishes but just for myself. Personally, a dirty and cluttered kitchen would drive me nuts.
Why the dining room? Do you not ever have family dinners over the holidays? I find one family dinner makes my dishwasher worthwhile.
Dorth…please take this as a real life joke because I don’t mean bad by it. We have a dining room (closed off from the kitchen) and we certainly don’t ‘need’ one as it is just my husband and I. BUT, we use our dining room constantly. Jigsaw puzzles, a Triominos game every night, a game of cards here and there. A folding station for clean laundry (I put it away right away). A place to put magazines and then read them there ’cause of the nice light. So when you asked “why a dining room?” I just kind of laughed to myself. Although we eat at our snack bar, I could not live without my dining room, lol!
I shake my head every time you have to come on and justify what you want to do in your own home. I suppose that is a cost that comes with living even a portion of your life in public view. It reminds me of the head shakes and comments I got, usually from extended family, after we took out our microwave. We went without one for probably 5 years and only got one again because I like being able to heat up a rice sock for a heating pad. Someday, when I redo my own kitchen, that thing is going in the pantry with the door closed. As a side note, as long as you don’t permanently remove the plumbing and electric behind your dishwasher, the space will still be available some day on the off chance you do move. You can point out to potential buyers that they could buy and install their own new dishwasher in that space, rather than having to use the dried out ancient one that you never used!
Bless your heart, Kristi. ROFL. 🙂 Enjoy using that space for something more profitable for you. 🙂
I have been hand washing dishes in my tiny house for 17 yrs. When you only have 3 ft of counter space, you don’t get a choice in the matter of having a dishwasher or not. I hate that just having a few things in my sink can make my who kitchen look messy. I would love the luxury of being able to just hide them away until ready to wash them.
Let me just say as a girl who enjoys cooking a variety of dishes and hates washing dishes with a passion…….. I would smack a small child for the joy of having a dishwasher again lol 🙂
All that being said, it’s your home and your choice. Do of course what makes you happy.
My husband and I don’t mess up enough dishes daily to run our dishwasher either so we wash by hand but as soon as dinner is over. I hate my kitchen being a mess. Also we had our dishwasher spring a leak while we were on vacation once and do $10,000 worth of damage so now we keep the water turned off from it!
Years ago, when my kids were little I noticed that some of our dishes came up missing. I asked my husband if he knew where they could be. He commented that maybe they were in the dishwasher. I laughed at this and asked him, “what would they be doing in there?” as I always washed my dishes by hand. Well, it turned out that our babysitter was putting them in there thinking that we used it. There was me, my husband and our 3 children at the time and I still preferred to wash by hand. 🙂
Oh my gosh! Hysterical! Go Kristi!
I can’t understand for the life of me why people can’t live and let live?! If Kristi prefers not to have a dishwasher, why should that matter to anyone else? She shouldn’t have to justify her choice and she didn’t ask for opinions on the matter. Do what works for you, Kristi!
I SO agree. This has been ongoing for quite some time now and I feel bad for Kristi “having” to explain herself over and over! It’s her and Matt’s house and no one else lives there for gosh sake!
I think because she sometimes “asks” for opinions, people feel they can opine about everything!
I have a dishwasher, but since the Flood of 2016, it has not been hooked up, so we wash our dishes by hand. It’s just the two of us, and it’s a nice time for us to visit together while he washes and I rinse. If I really wanted to, I could get it hooked back up, but even when we host our family for Thanksgiving Dinner, we use pretty paper plates, so I don’t see the need. Come to think of it, I could use that space to store my Instant Pot and Air Fryer and free up some counter space too. Hmmmmm.
I rarely use my dishwasher,…maybe twice a month? At most.
We are a family of 3, and occasionally 2 when my son is gone on business trips. I prepare dinner every night, with usually lots of pots, my skillet and prep bowls…and use paper plates. I hand wash my cookware and utensils since I’ll need them again the next day. My oldest and his wife think I’m nuts. They put everything in their dishwasher. To each his own.
You do you Kristi!
No opinion at all on dishwasher. But I’m very envious that you and Matt follow same program. That makes life/diet much easier. 😌
I know you sometimes solicit opinions from your audience, but sometimes, you just gotta go with what works for YOU. Even the painting of the bookshelves…you got a lot of positive feedback on painting it ALL teal, but you had seemed to be leaning that way from the first. (btw I did vote for all teal. I have a black accent wall and LOVE it!) Your readers love giving their opinions (someone might actually be interested in what they think…we all want to be validated), and keep asking ’cause they love you for it. But at the end of the day you do you.
Honestly, I grew up in a household never having a dishwasher. My mother was a stay-at-home woman cooking and baking daily. We ALL helped to do the dishes because that’s what we did. When I married in the late 80’s, we didn’t have a dishwasher – we washed them. When I became a single mom and moved, our townhouse had a dishwasher which I never used. The kids and I washed them by hand. It was no big deal. My husband and I eat simple salads, very rarely do we use the dishwasher. It’s a preference – I can live the rest of my life without one quite frankly. 🙂 🙂
Hi Kristi, I agree with removing your dishwasher. I have a small kitchen and needed the extra space that the dishwasher was taking up. I never used my dishwasher except for once or twice a year. It was more important for me to have the extra storage space. We built shelves in the space and that has worked out so much better. I believe everyone needs to do what works for them. Your home is absolutely beautiful, thank you for sharing all you do.
I get why you don’t want your dishwasher, you can always put one back in if your life changes. However, I am concerned about the fact that you only eat meat. Please add some lower carb veggies to the mix so that you getting all your nutrients.
We get everything we need from meat, minus the oxalates and other plant toxins that come with eating plants. 🙂 Eating meat only is perfectly healthy. Look up Joe and Charlene Anderson. They’ve been eating nothing but ribeyes for 21 years, and they’re in perfect health and look like they’ve aged in reverse. She had lyme disease, other autoimmune issues, and other health problems, and has been symptom-free for since going with an all-meat diet. Mikhaila Peterson has had a similar experience. There are thousands (maybe tens of thousands) of people making the switch to an all-meat diet and seeing remarkable improvements in their health as a result. You can read lots of testimonials at meatrx.com.
Does your doctor approve of this? This sounds like a dangerous fad diet. I know someone who has been on a Keto diet for about a year. She eats mainly vegetables and meat, which is not exactly balanced, but not not unreasonable. But she has eaten her way to an eating disorder. She is about 25 pounds underweight and looks like she has a terminal disease.
I don’t feel the need to debate or defend our diet, but I can assure you that Matt and I spend hours upon hours upon hours researching diet, and based on that research, we do what we feel is best for us.
Wow, what a bunch of judgmental misinformation you managed to cram into a single post.
If she’s eating meat and vegetables, I seriously doubt your claim that she’s 25lbs underweight. For the average American woman (5’3″ in height) to be 25 lbs underweight she’d have to have a BMI of 14.2 and weigh 80lbs (literally).
If she’s tall (5’10”) she’d have to have a BMI of 15.1 and weigh 105 lbs.
If she weighs more than ~80-105 lbs (depending on height, there is literally no way that she’s “25 lbs underweight”. You’re talking about serious anorexia at 25 lbs underweight, with bones sticking out of her hips, wrists, and cheeks.
I seriously doubt anybody is capable of getting down to that kind of weight if they’re still eating ‘mainly’ vegetables and meat (as well as other stuff in addition to it).
Most people whom I hear make claims like that have no idea what a healthy weight looks like, because almost everybody they know, including themselves, have always been overweight, and so they don’t have a clue what a woman who is skinny-but-healthy-BMI even looks like.
Helen I too am not sure about the meat-only diet, but I am not here to criticize their diet. I worry in silence, because I know she is doing what she feels she needs. I also know there are so many diets and alternative eating subjects these days. She has researched it and feels it is safe for them, so I accept that. Not my thing, but I never could follow a strict eating plan, even if I needed it medically for a test!
Yeah, I mean, it’s not for me, either, but I’m not going to comment on it because it’s her business. I just read an interesting book called In Defense of Food and it talked about how 1. nutritional science keeps changing and we still aren’t anywhere near close to having it all figured out and 2. people have lived and survived off of a huge variety of diets for thousands of years–from almost plant only, to almost grain only, to almost meat only, etc. They all did fine. The main thing they all had in common was they ate whole food. As long as you’re eating food and not processed junk, you’ll probably be ok.
I mean, sure, I think the best diet is probably mostly vegetables, some fruits, a little meat, lots of mild to moderate exercise, and a decent amount of strength training. So that’s what I aim for. 🙂 Our organs are not always in the exact same spots from person to person–surely we aren’t all meant to eat and exercise the exact same way, too.
I have a love/hate relationship with my dishwasher. It’s use is warranted in my house. So it is what it is.
I already love my Insta-pot, celebrating 4 years with it this spring. lol
But tell me more about this air-fryer. I’ve been wanting an air-fryer, but there are so many models and sizes and then there are the little drawer styles and the small oven styles- it’s just overwhelming. There’s just 2 of us. Soo…. I’ve been tempted to just buy whatever the Costco-Du-jour model is… but I wanna make sure I’d use it as much as my InstaPot.
I love the air fryer! I like the one I have, but knowing what I know now, I’d get a different one. I’d love to get the one with the glass door and pull-out wire shelves. I can’t remember the brand, but if you look on Amazon, you’ll find it. I love an air fryer because you can cook ribeyes and other steaks from frozen to perfectly medium rare/medium in about 15 minutes. I don’t know what kind of diet you eat, but you can find probably thousands of air fryer recipes on Pinterest to suit just about any kind of diet. Over the holidays, I had purchased a bag of Fritos (yes, we ate lots of carbs in December, unfortunately), and I accidentally left the bag open. The weather was really humid and the chips got super stale. I put them in the air fryer for a few minutes, and they were AMAZING!!! Better than a freshly opened bag, and I generally don’t even like Fritos. Anyway, I have an Instant Pot as well, and I love both of them. I use them in different ways, and I’m so glad to have the different options.
This is hilarious to me. Remember people, just because you have an opinion doesn’t mean anyone else cares what it is unless they ask.
Oh Kristi, Kristi, Kristi! The main problem is that you’re getting hung up on the word DISH. I’m a widow, alone and haven’t had a kitchen sink since Thanksgiving weekend but . . . my dishwasher is hooked up and being used because I wash lots more things in it than dishes. In fact, that’s now one of the least things I wash in it! If there is something that needs cleaning, can tolerate water and fits . . . in it goes! Pots for plants, plastic storage items, knick-knacks, flip-flops just to name a few things. One of my plans for this summer is to organize the tools in the garage since my husband passed away and left everything very much disorganized. Most tools like pliers, wrenches and sockets are filthy. Guess how I’m going to clean them! I have cleaned so many non-dish items over the years that my husband said if he ever came home and couldn’t find one of our dogs, the dishwasher was the place he’d start looking! LOL Racks get removed and stuff gets stuffed in.
If you don’t want it in the kitchen, think in terms of the garage or the utility room. I want to get my utility room cleaned out so I can put one in there for my dyeing stuff since I don’t want to mix the containers up with my food prep/storage stuff. Of course now that I’m the only one in the house, I’m not as likely to confuse them like hubby or kids would. It’s all a matter of lifestyle and hobbies. BTW, I got my Decluttering CD today and can’t wait to start listening.
This is a great idea! I never thought of washing more than dishes and …. Keyboards! That’s right! Back when I updated computers and gifted them to ppl the way I got the keyboards clean of all the icky germs was the dishwasher. It never ruined a keyboard. I have not done it in recent years but love your idea of washing other things in it.
Your kitchen doesn’t look small, so one would wonder why the need for extra storage is so critical that you would take out the dishwasher. Plus, you have a whole, new pantry for storage. A dishwasher is one of the things I would miss the most if I didn’t have it. It cleans better than you can do it by hand and supposedly uses less water. It makes more sense to toss what you don’t use than to take out a dishwasher.
The only thing I have in my kitchen that I don’t use and needs to be tossed is the dishwasher. That space could be used to store things that I do use, like the blender and Instant Pot that are always sitting on my countertop.
Brette, I think your comment is a little contradictory
It makes more sense to toss what you don’t use than to take out a dishwasher
But if she doesn’t use the dishwasher, then it makes sense to toss it, as she doesn’t use it, yes? Just because something makes it more convenient for you, doesn’t mean it does for anyone else. I wouldn’t use a dishwasher if someone put a gun to my head. Lol. I hate the things.
If I remember right, the pantry is on the other side of the dining area — having the Instant Pot and blender conveniently under the kitchen counter where the dishwasher currently resides would be a lot easier when preparing meals than having to trek over to the pantry and haul out whatever is needed. And if the dishwasher isn’t used, then isn’t it something to toss? My only recommendation is to either sell it or donate it to a Habitat Store where someone who likes dishwashers can avail themselves of it.
Good on you for writing this post for the nay-sayers. In our home, a dishwasher is a necessity, but we’re a family of 4 with children and the time I save with a dishwasher is a lot. Plus we host all major holidays, as well.
But my in-laws still live in the home that they raised their 3 boys in for years without a dishwasher, and they’ve never had one. There simply is not the room in the original design of the kitchen and, even if they were to remodel their kitchen space, I can’t figure out where they would be able to put a dishwasher without losing cabinetry — of which they use to 100%. They are quite content with this, too, without complaint even when we all show up for dinner.
Make your home work for YOU. Who cares what we think? Plus, with all the work you’ve put into this home and are planning to put into it, as a homebuyer, the lacking of a dishwasher wouldn’t be the make or break moment in buying, especially to learn that hookups already exist. Just my thoughts.
I don’t get why this is important to people. It almost looks like people keep trying to convert you into their religion, doesn’t it?! That’s the vibe I keep getting. Like, lay off, I said no already! 😀 I can’t stand dishwashers. I grew up without one, will never be caught dead with one. I know if I bought a house with one, it would be the first thing to go. (Unless it was vintage ’50s-’60s. Then it would hang around for decoration alone).
It’s your home and you do it the way that works best for you, Kristi. Personally, I could use a little extra storage, but I have a postage-stamp sized kitchen (not quite as big as your lookthru wall of cabinets into the breakfast room) in an apartment, and have to haul out a card table to prep and serve food on every time I entertain. 🙂
The way I saw the storage thing was, you don’t necessarily need more storage, but if you’re getting rid of the dishwasher, which you don’t use, you might as well store more things in its place, right? That makes sense to me.
Haven’t had a dishwasher in Years. Prefer to do my dishes and put them away all at once!
The first thing that popped into my head when I began reading was how diligent I have to be about turning on the dishwasher each night, or being greeted, as you said, by a “stinky dishes languishing in the dishwasher…” the next morning. For whatever reason, we manage to use enough dishes, pots, pans, and flatware that running the dishwasher each night is doable. Having said that, it’s your house, your lifestyle, and it cracks me up how opinionated other people are about what YOU do with your home.
What I am more curious about than anything is how you have been confessing to being a disorganized clutter bug the last few weeks, and every time I see a post of your home, it’s absolutely gorgeous. You must not be that bad, or else you take your photos from VERY strategic angles! LOL
I really enjoy your blog, your beautiful projects and seeing the amazing progress you’ve made on your home. You go, girl!
My question is about the purple striped ottomans…. (Just kidding…. I crack me up 🤣)
Oh my gosh, that made me actually laugh out loud. 😀 I think I scared Matt!
Have lived in my 1908 house with no dishwasher for 35 years. Lots of cooking and eating goes on, not to mention 16-20 at Thanksgiving and Christmas every year. All dishes and silverware done by hand, not to mention all meals cooked on/in a 1930 Wedgwood stove/oven which works like a champ. By bedtime, all dishes are done and put away. It’s not rocket science, but it is a habit and and easy one. I much prefer storage to a dishwasher, so I’m in the “no dishwasher” camp.
But where will you keep the dog and cat food if you get rid of your dishwasher?
Just kidding…. sorta. A friend of mine kept the giant pet food bags in her dishwasher until she moved to a home without one. Not sure where she keeps the dog food now! 😉
I almost didn’t read this because it seems so silly that you have to explain to people why you don’t want a dishwasher. But kudos to your patience to write the article!
I haven’t had a microwave in 15 years and people think I’m crazy too. But I have an extremely small kitchen with a large shelf for a large microwave. It didn’t make sense for me to use all that space for a tool that I only used to reheat a cup of tea. My preference is warming up using the oven or stovetop.
So I hear ya, sister! That being said, I’d never give up my dishwasher 🤣.
I say do whatever makes you happy! Personally, I am a bit of a germophobe and like being able to “sanitize” dishes, cutlery that touch raw meat & eggs… but that is me. I like and used to use a wood cutting board but now would never use one for raw meat. I have those thin ones you get four to a pack and throw them in the dishwasher like a plate.
Curious to see what you come up with for the “new” space!
For resale, keep a dishwasher. Use IT for storage!
I don’t care about resale. This house will be sold when I’m dead, so it won’t be my issue. 😀
So much controversy over what you want in your life is rediculous. You do you, girl. You do you as you do it so well.
My sister-in-law also is one who prefers to wash by hand, in spite of well meaning family members who can’t understand it and tell her so. So it’s not unheard of. I personally love a dishwasher but was able to squeeze in only an 18″ washer when I did a low budget renovation. When people come over they often comment on how they’ve never seen such a small one but it is better than nothing! It works for us.
I just finished going through a YEAR of the same exact conundrum while planning our kitchen remodel!
It’s not that we don’t use enough dishes to fill one (we’re the type to grab a new glass every single time we get water…haha), but the dishes & kitchen trash are the Mr’s job and for some odd reason he just prefers to hand wash them. No matter how good our dishwasher- it just gets used as a giant drying rack.
So I REALLY debated eliminating it but couldn’t get past the resale fear it brought…no one wants to buy a house without one & I DO use it whenever he’s gone or one of us gets the flu n I want to disinfect everything.
Soooo, after months n months of research I finally choose the Fisher & Paykel tall dish drawer that allows half loads & uses a very small amount of water ( Sandra/sawdust diaries review solidified my decision). I found a floor model of their top of the line version (panel ready with the water softener & knock to pause) on eBay last week & grabbed it up..so exciting haha! Plus it has the added benefit of never having to bend down to reach the bottom rack…ugh I hate that!
Kristi,
I vote for Keep the Dishwasher! My reason’s: # 1) the dishes get cleaned every night; #2) kitchen stays clean; #3) I don’t have to wash them; and #4) I gave birth to my dishwasher years ago and he still loves his mama!
Haha! Definitely keep your dishwasher!! 😀
Seems like all the dishwasher soldiers aren’t thinking about the fact that you can have the same bad habits with a dishwasher as without one. If you aren’t taking the 2-5 minutes each day to clean your dishes after your meal, who’s to say you would take the 5-10 minutes to empty the dishwasher after you run it? Then you will be pulling clean dishes from the dishwasher and they will be piling up in your sink because there’s no where for them to go 🙂 It’s good that you are acknowledging the small changes you can make to improve your life!
I could not care less whether you have a dishwasher or not… but the thing that concerns me is that you are cutting up your ribeyes on the same cutting board that you tenderize them on? I hope you are washing the board in between tenderizing and cutting! Probably doing that with steaks is not as bad as with pork or chicken, but the thought of possible bacterial contamination still grosses me out a bit.
I do wash it between tenderizing/seasoning and cutting up the cooked steak. I’m not too concerned about it since it’s just steak. Heck, lots of carnivores eat raw steak daily. I’m not quite there yet. 😀 I’ve been tempted to try, because they rave about how amazing and tender it is, and how much more nutritious it is, but I just can’t get over the mental hurdle yet. I have tried a raw egg yolk, though. It was tasty!
Whew, I feel a lot better now. 🤣 But raw meat, no thanks! I could probably do a raw egg yolk, though, since runny eggs are pretty close to that. Just not raw whites, gag!
I agree with you about just getting rid of it! I grew up without one, and when I got married the apartment we lived in had one and I found it to be more labor intensive to use it, (husband grew up with one and had to have it though). After the divorce I ended up in a place that had one and I used it for storage until the garbage disposal (which I hate and will never have again) backed up and made a mess. After that it just sat there, I didn’t store anything in it in case it got backed up into again, and I didn’t use it to wash the few dishes I accumulated as a single person. the place I live in now has one, and my roommate uses it, but I have found that its just easier for me to wash my dishes and put them in the rack to dry then to open the dishwasher and wonder if the stuff in it is clean. My next place hopefully will not have one, I would much rather have a cabinet for storage.
I agree…it’s your home! We are just along for the ride! Even though hubby & I are empty nesters…he swears he’d give up the car before giving up the dishwasher!! lol. I remember when we got our first dishwasher he said…”So, when are we going to find time to talk now?” (I washed-he dried)….since we are together almost 41 years…I think it’s going to work out. 🙂
If it were just two of us and we ate pretty simply, I could totally see not needing/wanting a dishwasher. Especially since some people are the type where you clean and put something away as soon as you use it (I’m NOT those people, but I know people like that…).
I don’t know why people are all up in arms about it. 🙂
The only argument I could see is making sure you leave space/hookups for a dishwasher IF you wanted to worry about resale value/appeal of your home. But you’ve already made it clear that’s your last concern since you plan to stay there for most of the rest of your life. So I say, “Go you. Get rid of it!”
I understand your point of view. I went many, many years (raised 5 kids) without a dishwasher and I survived. When we moved, the house came with a dishwasher and I love it. Note: I don’t put all my dishes, pots and pans in it. I still handwash my pots and pans and they have stayed in great condition because of it.
Who knew dishwashers were such a hot topic! 95 comments and counting! I’m eagerly waiting for the day you post a link to this blog post for future “you need a dishwasher” comments.
My mom stores her Tupperware in the dishwasher. When we’re ready to sell our house, we’ll get a small portable dishwasher just for resale purposes! We’re just fine washing by hand…builds character! haha
A couple questions from me. 🙂 Do you use glasses to drink from? How do you cook your steak? Mine never turn out tender, but sometimes really tough. I have a tenderizer and stabbed that sucker to death and it still wasn’t really tender. Would love to near the way you cook your meat. Thanks.
My son uses his non working dishwasher to store big bags of cat food. His cat knows how to open cupboard doors.
Or you could use it to store good dishes that only come out at Christmas.
It takes no renovation at all to use it as storage as is after you take the racks out. Then if you should ever (heaven forbid) sell your house there a good chance that a buyer will want a dishwasher.
I get it – this is how you two live. Makes sense to not have a dishwasher, but I am intensely curious: why then do you need more storage or the pantry?
I totally agree with you. I got rid of my dishwasher when we renovated our kitchen 4 years ago. When I had one and used it, it discolored or faded a lot of my dishes so I quit using it and decided I didn’t want another one in my new kitchen. I just replaced it with another cabinet. We use paper plates and bowls a lot. Not to worry about landfills because we live in the country and burn ours 😉 When we have company I use the real dishes and I don’t mind hand washing a lot of dishes once a month or so. It’s just my husband and I now and we only eat one meal a day also. So my opinion is that it’s your kitchen and whatever you want shouldn’t matter to anyone. You go girl!!!! Lol!!!!
I do not blame you one bit for getting rid of your dishwasher. To only have a handful of items that you use daily to wash, a dishwasher makes zero sense. And this is your forever home so you don’t need to worry about what the next owners will think or want. For me, a dishwasher is a must but I have two kids still at home, a grandbaby every weekend, and we do eat more than one meal a day at home. Plus, when the holidays come, we do everything at our house and I run the dishwasher probably 3 times on those days not including after meal clean up, ugh. But you can’t live by what works for me and I can’t live by what works for you, not when it comes to the function of your home. But I still like your idea, it might come in handy in the future when we have an empty nest.
Sorry to say so, following you for years now from France…
But I’m shocked…
What’s the goal of decorating your home with so many and much cares if it’s to live like this?
Don’t you ever receive people for diner????
Don’t you ever enjoy a great cake, a great meal baked for hours?I mean, a normal and balanced meal, shared with people ( and not just a trendy way of having enough energy to live for one more day, like an animal in fact)
For sure americans are eating way too much, way too much jerk and meat and fat and sugar…
But to a european quality of life centered person, it’s extremely weird to read such things…
It totally changes all of my view upon your blog and decorating adventures…
weird…
Are you kidding me with this? The way Matt and I eat changes your view of my blog and decorating? That has to be the dumbest comment I’ve read so far this year.
You know, if you had left a comment showing even the slightest perceptible amount of humility, or showing even an ounce of respect for me, I would have bent over backwards to explain to you in great detail why we eat the way we do, what we’ve learned from it, how long we plan to do it, and what we plan in the future. Heck, you could have just simply ASKED me why we eat this way, and I would have been happy to tell you.
But you didn’t do that. Instead, you left a comment (your first ever comment on my blog, even though you claim you’ve read for years) filled with haughtiness, arrogance, a “my country is better than yours” attitude, judgement, and more. I don’t know if you chose to respond that way because you’re an arrogant jerk, or because you’re French (but maybe I repeat myself).
So let me put it this way. Unless and until you have a spouse who has multiple sclerosis so advanced that every single food he eats causes an immediate and noticeable response, then I couldn’t give a rat’s ass what you have to say about how we eat. And unless and until you have a spouse who can eat carbs (even the so-called “healthy” carbs) and have an immediate and noticeable autoimmune response that causes severe exhaustion, weakness, slurred speech, blurred vision, and difficulty breathing, then as far as I’m concerned, you can take your “shock” and stick it where the sun don’t shine. Got it?
And FYI…too much meat? Ridiculous. Hong Kong eats more meat per capita (almost four times the amount of the EU) of any country in the world. Hong Kong also has the highest life expectancy of any country in the world AND they have the highest average IQ of any country in the world.
America is fat and diseased because we eat too much sugar, processed carbohydrates, and industrial seed/vegetable oils. Period.
Having a dishwasher for us was a terrible experience. I grew up with one and have never liked them as an adult. There is something deliberate and therapeutic about washing dishes. Anyway – we have ten kids. It takes us 10 minutes or less to wash and dry the dishes by hand and then they’re all neatly put away and ready for the next meal. There is something lovely about that, and not having to worry about a dishwasher too full or not full enough or whether or not an item I need immediately is in it being washed and is therefore inaccessible….the freedom of being dishwasherless is wonderful.
We put an under-counter fridge in its place, which serves us far better. Little kids have easy access to yogurts and drinks and fruit.
Never knew it was this controversial. Always thought dishwashers were useful but finally used one. My only issue was it took so long to clean the dishes (2H). And, it couldn’t even clean the complex pots like pressure cookers (as expected). I was searching for why people liked to use dishwashers and then arrived here. It seems like a lot of people who are pro-dishwashers treat it in the same way as washing machine where you stack dirty stuff to fill the device and then use at one.
I personally don’t like the idea of dirty dishes just staying there for days. So yea, I agree with this post. Maybe they are good for when you host but i’d assume you’d host with paper plates anyways so not sure when it is useful. And if your guest are picky about paper plates rather than being happy for you hosting then maybe they don’t need to be invited next time.
Was def not going to post this but some of the pro-dishwasher comments hurt my brains. I’d think there are some legitimate reasons to keep it but they are focused on your lifestyle instead which makes me believe maybe they aren’t that useful to begin with.
I found this blog by accident and it does have good points. I’m 39 years old and I redid my Kitchen nine months ago. I did not add a dishwasher because I realized I was barely using it. (choose double pull out trashcans instead). My family doesn’t live local and friends very rarely come to the house in groups. I never really used it the full capacity it’s much easier and quicker to wash by hand. And I found it fascinating, that so many people think it’s somehow barbaric that somebody washes their dishes which is effective and quicker doing it by hand than leaving it for 30/20 minutes with a washer. I know the general rule is leave the washer full and then do the dishes one time but to me I just think that’s counterproductive. if I’m barely using it what’s the point? I also had the exact same thing, ‘the remodel expert’ in Home Depot couldn’t believe I wanted to get rid the dishwasher.
I think your choices perfect and your situation and mine. I don’t see a problem with it. If you’re not using an appliance but very rarely, what is the point of having it? I mean yeah it’s nice to have, but you might as well put something like storage or another cabinet structure so you can add more items inside. I came across your blog, (via search) on this topic. I was reading an article about robot vacuums, not being effective towards mopping and cleaning the floors generally better for dogs shedding. Many people pointed out how those vacuums don’t clean as well for the ground and don’t recommend it.
Some actually thought it was barbaric not to use a robot vacuum. I also saw other people say: “found the guy that hand washes his dishes” posters thought it was hilarious and worth of upvoting. I mean how far we come back in society that simply doing your own dishes by hand is somehow animalistic?